Fire erupts on another Maersk container ship

A fire in a cargo hold was reported onboard the 'Maersk Kensington', a container ship owned and operated by US subsidiary Maersk Line Limited (MLL), on Thursday evening, while the ship was en route from Salalah, Oman, towards Suez.

All 26 crew members are safe and accounted for and the fire is reported to be contained. The company said in an official statement:

Safety measures were taken immediately. The crew reacted swiftly and as per procedure, by release of CO2 into the cargo hold to contain the fire.

The cause of the container fire is currently unknown. However, initial investigation indicate there is no link between the cargo in the cargo hold where the fire began on Maersk Kensington and the cargo in the cargo hold which caught fire on Maersk Honam on 6 March 2018. One crewman has died and four others are missing as a result form this accident.

MLL, in coordination with Maersk Line, will investigate the matter thoroughly in cooperation with all relevant authorities.

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AIS data show the ship is currently at anchor outside the port of Salalah, and is getting assistance from shore. The vessel is carrying 3518 containers (corresponding to 5,616 TEU).

Maersk Kensington is a US- flagged boxship, built in 2007, with a nominal capacity of 6188 TEUs.